CDC: Thousands of Dengue Virus Cases Reported in US Over 8 Years

With 93% of travel-associated dengue viruses reported between 2010-2017, travelers to the tropics should continue to protect against mosquito bites by using insect repellents, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, and taking actions to keep mosquitos out of their residencies.¹

Dengue is endemic in the United States territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The first vaccine for the prevention of dengue disease was approved in May 2019, inhibiting all dengue virus serotypes (1, 2, 3, and 4) in people ages 9 years through 16 years that have laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection.²

According to a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report curated by the CDC, a total of 5009 travel-associated, and 378 locally acquired confirmed or probable dengue cases were reported to ArboNET from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017. The cases were equally distributed between males and females, with the median age of 41 years. Among all travelers, 18 fatal cases were reported.¹

Fifty-three percent of travel-associated cases were reported from 4 US states: New York (18%), California (16%), Florida (14%), and Texas (5%).¹

The Caribbean and Asia were the most frequently reported regions of travel, followed by Central America, North America, and South America, in those with travel-associated cases. Moreover, the most frequently reported region of travel changed from the Caribbean at 42% during 2010-2014, to Asia at 35% during 2015-2017.¹

Across the entire 8 years analyzed, the most frequently reported destinations with endemic transmission were the countries of India, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and the US territory of Puerto Rico.¹

Ninety-four percent of patients with travel-associated and locally acquired dengue had reported symptoms consistent with dengue, with less than 1% of cases having severe dengue. Forty percent of patients with dengue were hospitalized, most of whom were travelers.¹

REFERENCES

• Aidsa Rivera MS, Adams LE, Sharp TM, et al. Travel-associated and locally acquired dengue cases- United States, 2010-2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020; 69: 149-154. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6906a1.
• First vaccine for dengue disease prevention receives FDA approval. Pharmacy Times. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/first-vaccine-for-dengue-disease-prevention-receives-fda-approval. Published May 2, 2019. Accessed February 14, 2020.